Not only has the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life for customers, and with it their shopping habits and needs, but it’s also affecting their priorities when it comes to candy selection. “It’s interesting, the moment mask-wearing became part of everyday life, the need and demand for fresh breath declines,” said Joe Bortner, category manager for…
MAPCO Names Tony Harris Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer
MAPCO, which operates more than 340 convenience stores throughout the Southeastern region of the U.S., has appointed Tony Harris as its chief marketing and merchandising officer. Harris enters the role with more than 25 years of experience in the convenience store space. Before joining MAPCO, Harris served as the senior vice president of Cumberland Farms,…
Creating a Strategic Business Plan Amid COVID-19
Business planning in any environment is important, but add in the myriad of challenges brought by the current COVID-19 pandemic, and strategic business planning becomes even more essential for convenience stores looking to succeed in this uncertain landscape. So, why is business planning so crucial? In a word, it provides clarity. Investing time in developing…
Coronavirus Provides Convenient EMV Upgrade Respite
Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the major credit card companies have further delayed the deadline for EMV fuel dispenser compliance to April 2021. This has conveniently provided marketers with some valuable time to tailor a turnkey EMV dealer development program to proactively provide upgrade guidance and support without breaking the bank. Pragmatism is a virtue…
Power Market Jump-Starts Expansion
H&S Energy has soared to a 112-store operation since its debut in the mid-’90s, and it’s set to escalate growth in the year ahead. With 46 company-owned Power Market convenience stores in Northern California and 56 ExtraMile c-stores in Southern California, the company has its sights set on doubling its store count in the next…
Is Healthy Food Important for C-Stores?
The convenience store channel is still a relative “newbie” to foodservice, even though it has been gaining traction for the past 25 years. Most of the industry remains well acquainted with Clark Griswold’s famous quote in the 1980s film Vacation, “I’m so hungry I could eat a sandwich from a gas station,” which summed…
CWU Campus Dining Launches Fresh Food Concept
Central Washington University’s (CWU) Campus Executive Chef Joe Ritchie has a background in fine dining at Michelin-starred restaurants, but he sees his current role managing the CWU’s dining programs as his biggest opportunity yet — introducing young consumers to new foods and styles of cooking. At CWU, he’s responsible for all food and…
A Salute to Our Industry
For the first time in 24 years I will not be joining the industry at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show this year in Las Vegas as the COVID pandemic has claimed yet another industry gathering. On paper, it’s just another show in a long line of canceled conferences since March, but in…
Top Tips for Takeout Packaging Success
When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, c-stores began adjusting their business practices to hold on to foodservice customers in the midst of state lockdowns, like adding curbside pickup and delivery services, if they didn’t already have those options in place. Many c-stores, accustomed to providing the best packaging for instant dashboard dining, began adjusting takeout options…
Best New Loyalty Programs: Kwik Chek
Spicewood, Texas-based Kwik Chek, which recently announced a plan to rebrand all store locations to Texas Born (TXB), relaunched its rewards program in June, refining the design and in-app payment, increasing flexibility in rewards redemption and adding gamification. Kwik Chek CEO Kevin Smartt called the relaunch process a “long, winding road,” starting with about nine months…